Stories
A brief look inside the lives of others to give us insight into other worlds that is fascinating, revealing and instructive, all in one sitting.
It’s September and I’m sitting in the registrar’s office hearing I need three more credits to be full time and what the hell, why not sign up for Creative Writing cause I always did good in English…
I call them my United Nations class, Remedial English 070. It’s that kind of diversity we see more and more in the Community College setting. I get to know them through their writing, which is just as well since that’s the subject I teach. And so we are two weeks into the semester before I identify the fragile waif with enormous brown eyes as Maria who looks like a teenager but is in her late twenties.
David Lieberman sat in the noisy classroom his eyes focused on the book in front of him. Through the din, his name came drifting from across the room.
“Look, Stan. Queer David is back.”
Just then Mrs. Griffith stormed into the room. Clearly in a bad mood, she looked around to target her anger. Suddenly her eyes came to rest. “David Lieberman,” she crowed. But she pronounced it like “Lover‑man” and the class tittered.